There’s no doubt about it now - Kelland Hickey, a 15 year old youth from Harbour Breton is among the elite volleyball players in Atlantic Canada in his age group.
Kelland was a member of the Newfoundland and Labrador Volleyball Association’s (NLVA) Elite under 16 team that claimed the gold medal in their division at the Eastern Elite Championships.
The tournament, which was hosted by the City of Moncton and Volleyball New Brunswick, was held from August 5 to 7. Twenty-five teams representing the best male and female volleyball players from across Atlantic Canada participated in the exciting event.
Newfoundland and Labrador had nine teams at the event while New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island had five, seven and four teams respectively.
Kelland said that he was selected to be a member of the NLVA Elite team back after a training/practice session held at St. John’s in May.
Kelland was selected as a member of the team namely for his obvious volleyball skills. This time around he was also the team’s co-captain as he was noted for his leadership abilities as well.
The 2011 tournament was Kelland’s second time at representing his province in an Atlantic Canadian volleyball tournament.
“I was on a team that played for a bronze medal in 2010,” he said. “I came away from that event more determined than ever to compete as this level again. It was a great experience to play against the best teams in Atlantic Canada and to realize that I can compete at this level.”
Kelland got to play in all six games his team participated in at the event. He and his teammates were really on their game, as they never lost a set in the six games they won leading up to the championship match.
In the championship match against the NLVA Developmental Team One, Kelland helped march his team to the gold medal as the Elite players continued their strong offensive and defensive play in the final match.
The event was the last of Kelland’s volleyball games for the summer of 2011. September will see him back in class in Level 11 at King Academy where, no, doubt, he will lead the Warriors into battle again against school teams from the local area and around the province.
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